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Nazi Garden Gnomes in Nuremberg Art Gallery Prompt Investigation

by Amy Judd | July 17, 2009 at 09:57 am

351 views | 18 Recommendations | 8 comments

Update: July 22, 2009

The Nazi garden gnomes have been ruled not illegal:

After a preliminary inquiry over the past week, prosecutors in the Bavarian city ruled that the 40-centimetre gnome is ridiculing the Nazis rather than promoting a return of the Third Reich.

"It is pretty clear that garden gnomes are silly and that they do silly things. In 1942 I would have been shot by the Nazis for this," prosecutors quoted the gnome's creator, artist Ottmar Hoerl, as saying.

Hundreds of Nazi garden gnomes in a Nuremberg art gallery has prompted an investigation into whether the little statues with their arms raised in what appears to be a Hitler Nazi salute, could be breaking the law.

German-born artist Ottmar Hoerl, the president of the Academy for Fine Arts in Nuremberg is the one who produced the statues.

Since the Second World War, any symbols or saltues relating to the Nazi party and Hitler have been illegal, but the figure could be found to be ridiculing the Third Reich and declared legal.

Wolfgang Traeg, a spokesman for the public prosecutors office, said: "The investigation is ongoing and people are being interviewed.

"It is also a question of art a bit," he said. "It will also depend on what the artist and the owners of the gallery have to say for themselves about the whole thing."

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AlvarezGalloso

at 10:07 on July 17th, 2009

There should be an investigation. Anything that promotes hate should be denounced and banned. The reason is that when symbols of hate are promoted hatred tends to increase. Examples have been not only Nazi Germany but Rwanda [the genocide] and Cambodia [the Khmer Rouge].

Nate King

at 11:24 on July 17th, 2009

Yeah freedom of speech is not important

albertacowpoke

at 11:14 on July 17th, 2009

With a "Heil Hitler" salute, hundreds of sinister garden gnomes rally in German artist Ottmar Hori's installation, entitled, Dance of/with the Devil.

The show, part of Belgium's Flanders Expo - Line Art Exhibition, opened Dec. 5, in Ghent.

It's not easy for people to turn Hitler's atrocities into laughs, but that didn't stop Mel Brooks from hitting the jackpot with The Producers.

Jordan Yerman

at 11:39 on July 17th, 2009

Gnazis?

158

at 12:42 on July 17th, 2009

60 years after the war this should not be a big deal.

albertacowpoke

at 12:45 on July 17th, 2009

Germany is very conscious of their past. Their law specifically forbids any type of NAZI memorabilia. I guess the investigation that is being called for will determine whether these gnoms or as jordan calls them gnanzi.s are, in fact, that.